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Placement Reflection 6

TO-DO: Finalise placement duties with VFA; Fill and submit Final Feedback Form to Farihah by next week Friday; complete Experiential Learning Year-End Report Self-Evaluation; Submit Accessing Placements Fund response; 2-sentence rationale on internship course.

Although I officially fulfill my internship hours (a total of 91 hours fitting the 80-120 hour mark while juggling six courses) next week on April 5th, 2019 (Week 7 with VFA), these past six weeks have been one of the most eye-opening, most insightful, busiest periods of my life. I overheard an interview centering a prospective landscape designer at VFA, which provided insight into crucial areas to discuss during job interviews particularly ones where one would operate within the design industry, like myself. Needless to say, VFA also caters to landscapes as part of the services rendered; hence, it was interesting to learn a thing or two about landscaping from hearing in on the interview. A few areas I have noted down to touch base on for future interviews are:

Ideal pay range.

Passion and what I would like to specialize in within the company.

How I would make expenses.

Interestingly, overhearing this interview relates to my Continual Learning as I remember briefly drafting on these areas in the process of mapping my career goals and it is thrilling to witness the application of such mapping in real-life scenarios right before my eyes! For this, I’m privileged and grateful to be recommended to always have my career mind map with me when going for job interviews as it distills the essence of having a position at a company of my choice, and ensures a fulfilling learning experience and personal growth in my desired career.

Career Mind Map

Asides from drawing valuable lessons from this interview, I also took note of Vanessa’s advice to hone and keep practicing my physical model-making skills either for the purposes of school, personal, or work projects as these are vital creative skills to have as an architect, let alone a designer, when making prototypes. Hence, I would endeavour to take the initiative to practice building cleaner models (with more precise cuts and cleaner edges).

From this placement experience as a whole, I have been able to integrate my weekly diary into my final reflections featured on a group podcast where I came up with the fitting name: Tyro Talk. The whole process of creating this podcast relates to the competencies of Working Together, Critical Participation and all the Creative aspects. I had the pleasure of working with my fellow course mates in other design streams, capitalizing on our different skill sets and strengths to compile this amazing group podcast of our placement reflections not just for the grades, but for us to always refer back to in future and share with others who are interested in getting a glimpse of what is involved and act as channels of insight and advice for prospective interns. I will definitely be able to apply these competencies in the working world where I would also have the privilege of working with others from different backgrounds and just basking in the intellectual diversity that comes with it. Given these points, my special role was designing the cover art for the group podcast where I refreshed my graphic design skills:

Final Cover Art for Group Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/orlisovr/tyro-talks-2019/s-cM1PT

As a whole, I have been able to draw my placement experience as a job ad which has given me a better understanding of my co-working space at VFA and my role as a junior designer, with the perfect blend of humour and sass:

Job Description using Job Ad

Undeniably, this Internship course may have only lasted for just this winter semester; nevertheless, the skills I’ve acquired, connections I’ve made, and lessons I’ve drawn will be a part of me forever. Thank you for being a part of my placement experience, and I cannot wait to tell you more of my reflections whenever we have the opportunity to do so in person! In the meantime, be sure to head over to my webfolio with new additions coming this summer: emem.format.com. 

- Signed, Emem.

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Placement Reflection 5

Self-care, self-care, self-care!

I decided that this week was all about displaying the competency of Self Management which is very important because at some points, one would feel like they’re about to risk- or currently risk- a burnout due to workload piled up over the weeks, and it’s vital for one to reasonably balance between work, play, and rest. Work hard, play hard, rest harder! I owed it to myself to invest in self-care and take good care of my physical and mental health by sleeping more, closing on time and not being tempted to stay back a few more minutes, eating more, and taking short breaks at work to walk and stretch, which could ultimately determine my emotional health in terms of my general mood towards people I interact with, and attitude towards work. Self Management is one aspect I admire from afar and long to have but barely apply in the context of working environments; hence, I have started applying and would need to continue applying this competency in the above mentioned ways. 

Additionally, I have also started applying Self Management in the contexts of Self Motivation where I take the initiative to have regular check-ins with my supervisor and assistants especially regarding the purging of material samples to ensure which ones go to the suppliers and which could be retained for current and future projects. The check-ins are important because in my case, I have become more proactive, more certain that I am doing relevant tasks that benefit the company. For instance, I have divided the task of contacting suppliers in four steps: 

Sorting and tagging purged items according to suppliers’ names, and cross-referencing contact details on samples with MS Excel directory to contact the sales rep.

For non-listed items, adding contacts to MS Excel directory with contact details on samples, contact details online, OR putting them aside for Vanessa to look up sales rep on her private phone.

Using a text prompt to guide me when contacting supplies in order to be professional and considerate of their busy schedules, and noting down their days of availability to pick up.

Checking off picked-up items from notes to see the remaining ones, and noting purged items to recycle if suppliers wouldn’t pick up.

In future, I could extend this competency to Relationships & Networking by not settling for superficial work relationships. Rather than just saying “hi” to my colleagues and zooming off to my work desk, I could invest in upbuilding conversations with them and have rewarding moments that would lighten my mood, and make me feel more connected and human.

TO-DO: Ongoing work duties.

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Placement Reflection 4

Needless to say, I’ve had another desk-bound working experience during my fourth week at VFA, making continuations of researching and updating contacts list, and interacting with colleagues in different departments and key partner suppliers thereby boosting my networking skills. These mostly relating to the competencies of Professional Context and Situated Production which are important in terms of familiarizing one’s self with the industry and being responsible for given assignments since they make up important parts of more complex projects and plans.

I would say that the most significant thing about this week was my involvement in the schematic design of an ongoing project of a one-storey house to be situated on a slope. This involved Working Together with my supervisor and project coordinator to ensure the tasks were delivered appropriately. My task was to build scale models of the building masses for a Friday morning client meeting who would look at the models I’ve made in order to progress with the design process. From an angle, this was a refresher on my creative skills of physical model-making. However, I must admit, my physical modelling skills have been on a six-month hiatus following the course of my 3rd year of ED at OCAD where all the projects have advanced from manual outlets to more digital and technical outlets; hence, calling for more of digital models than physical models. My supervisor and project coordinator displayed admirable Professional Conduct by being very accommodating and understanding of my limitations, and being very appreciative of the extended time and effort I made into delivering the tasks to the best of my ability. I would definitely apply this in my dealings with group members and colleagues both at school and work to show consideration for others’ circumstances which would. This whole moment of my experience relates to the competency of Continuous Learning as based on this refresher, spending more time than I used to when building physical models from illustration board has created an awareness for the need to hone my skills. Therefore in future working environments, I will be able to apply Continuous Learning through more practice and regularity to offset the long stretch of time I hadn’t physically made models and improve the quality of my models. In addition to improving the model quality, I will now be able to apply my learning through investing in sharper cutting tools, precise measuring tools, and finer writing materials.

TO-DO: Give Vanessa a week notice of upcoming day-off next week Friday to observe final class of internship course; Ongoing work duties.

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Placement Reflection 3

My third week at VFA was sedentary as my tasks mainly involved making colour-coded additions to VFA’s contacts list for suppliers, consultants, and other contacts. This relates to the competency of Continuous Learning which is especially important to me seeing that this whole placement experience is my first step into the architecture industry in the real world; hence, there’s always room to creatively apply my personal learning strategies. To say the very least, all the tasks I’ve done till date, including the contact list updates, are eye-openers in terms of helping me to learn more and be more acquainted with key partners of an architecture firm. 

Initially, I had slight questions as to how this directly relates to my job description; however, my self-reflections have made me appreciate how these tasks demonstrate the competency of Professional Context and align with my learning goals. This is because I have a much better understanding about how VFA works, how VFA fits in with the architecture and construction industries, and how it relates to other companies as seen from its extensive contact list documented on MS Excel. If not for these sedentary tasks I’ve been assigned to cover, I would’ve missed out on the opportunity to gain more insight into how VFA fully runs as an organization. These two competences are valuable and applicable to my future endeavours in the contexts of administrative duties i.e. updating contacts list and contacting suppliers/clientele. Therefore, accomplishing tasks outside my job description would make me well-rounded and competent in the architecture industry, especially in terms of retaining connections and relationships. Additionally, administrative duties would provide insight into the behind-the-scenes of architectural projects in the planning, construction, and design stages.

TO-DO: Ongoing work duties (updates on VFA’s contacts list, making phone calls/emails to suppliers on items to purge out for them to pick up, relabelling all samples in both interior and exterior sections).

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Placement Reflection 2

I commenced the second week at VFA after my reading week (February 18th-23rd) which I had informed my supervisor prior to this arrangement; hence, this explains the week interval between my digital diaries. 

My tasks for this week were rearranging tile, wood, and stone samples in the exterior section, purging out brick samples, and most importantly, researching fall arrest training centres and courses which some of my fellow colleagues require which is applicable to their tasks on regular site visits. Some valuable lessons I’ve garnered from my second week at VFA are: 1.) when architectural drawings become more detailed, prices become more accurate, and 2.) the later you change things, the more it’s going to cost you. These lessons highlight the competency of Organizational Skills which are important because it addresses efficient time, budget and resource management which would inspire me to achieve company goals independently and professionally not only during my placement at VFA, but in future work environments. Some ways in which I could apply organizational skills is making my building drawings as detailed as possible, especially sections which require materiality details, dimensions and appropriate line weights at a generous scale in order to make prices as accurate yet cost-efficient as possible, and make it understandable for other colleagues to interpret and realize into real buildings. This aspect also reflects the competency of Purpose & Impact which is important to me because I’d like to be seen as a fully competent and stellar architect who finds purpose and takes great pride in producing work at optimum quality. I believe this would go a long way in making a positive and powerful impact in the architecture industry and enhance my professional identity.

TO-DO: Set up meeting with supervisor on fall arrest training research

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Placement Reflection 1

Wednesday of this week marked the first official day of my placement with VFA. My tasks for this week were mainly purging out wood samples to be considered for recycling or disposal, and rearranging stone tiles and wood samples in the interior section of the cabinet of my main working space, which is the primary location for client meetings and board meetings. While working, I was especially observant of how my supervisor demonstrated the competency of Organization Skills amongst other aspects when she conducted meetings with colleagues and phone calls with key partners and collaborators on buildings projects. This important because the end goal is to be sustainable, which is not limited to design and materials, but also in terms of cost-efficiency and time management, ensuring time and resources are managed the best way in order to achieve a goal.

This week, my expectations of working right away on tasks directly related to architecture were diminished i.e. making CAD drawings or model-making as my fellow colleague, an architecture co-op student. However, I saw my working on these non-direct tasks as an opportunity to show that I am an all-rounder and a fast learner. Although it’s normal to feel discouraged when expectations decrease, so is not the case for me because I have always been the curious type; hence, demonstrating Adaptability by taking on new challenges is more of an asset than a drawback to my personal growth. What I appreciate about this week is my Self-motivation where I completed my tasks on time and took the initiative to ask if there was more I could do especially seeing that my supervisor had closed much earlier than I do close for the day. I then partook in labelling and stamping envelopes for customized letters for clients along with colleagues in the sister firm Fold which gave me a sense of fulfillment. This was a great opportunity to demonstrate my social learning aspects where I worked together with Fold colleagues, initiating time-saving ideas of sorting out letters according to labelled envelops, and fostering healthy relationships with colleagues who seem already fond of me. I could leverage on my social learning aspects through Critical Participation with my supervisor to gain more insight into how architecture industry works rather than observing from the meetings and calls she handles, and enhance my overall learning experience. 

TO-DO: Podcast Analysis

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Placement + Podcast Review

I just successfully went through my interview with VFA and would be interning as a Junior Designer!

This week pretty much kicked off on a good note considering my ability to bag an eligible placement opportunity right ahead of time before the set reading week deadline! The interview process was thankfully straightforward and fairly quick- it roughly took an hour for the Q&A session, portfolio review, and filling out of the Student Agreement Fund combined. I appreciate how knowledgeable my placement supervisor- Vanessa Fong herself- was about the structure of the placement course. The negotiation of availability hours was a breeze and she was extremely considerate of my busy school schedule as I have to juggle six courses. Although I am just about starting my placement next week, I feel the whole experience of applying and sifting through placements tailored to my interests has helped me gain so much insight into my learning goals for the term. VFA ticks all the right boxes because of its ideal firm size as a creative enterprise, co-working space culture, focus on architecture & interior design particularly in residential settings, and rapt attention to sustainability and design as a social responsibility: all of which align with my interests. This placement would definitely serve as a milestone for my architecture career pursuit and make me more knowledgeable about the dynamics of an architecture firm and different roles played in it. In the meantime, I applied for the Accessing Placement Funds to help with my travel expenses, and would be producing at least three cover art drafts for the draft group podcast on moderated reflections about placements. I am beyond glad I took the initiative and grabbed this fine opportunity to explore and showcase my Graphic Design skills.

TO-DO: Start placement with VFA, 3/6 cover art drafts for draft group podcast in collaboration with Saloni

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One-to-One Consultation

Time indeed does go by pretty quickly and looking back, it’s unbelievable how just a month has casually passed by; yet, I’ve gained a lot of insight and knowledge about professional materials i.e. résumé and portfolio, employee’s rights, as well as mediums like podcasts to serve as reflections on the whole placement process and experience. The furthest I’ve gone in terms of outreach is sending an introductory email to VFA, an architectural & interior design firm which I got a feedback from after almost two weeks. This served as a basis of discussion for my one-on-meeting with my instructor discussing my progress with the course and is at the moment, 1/5 job applications where I received feedback from. My next step with VFA is what I would deem as a conditional informational interview. To ensure my success, I believe I would let my appearance do more of the talking on why I’m the best candidate which calls for professional dressing and grooming, posture, body language, and appropriate eye contact. My speech through my answers and professional materials would supplement my presence with more of the how I’m the best candidate for this placement position. I believe it works best in this order from the little experience I’ve gained from interviews because at the end of the day, what differentiates you from the rest of equally eligible candidates is your personality and what you bring to the table which is the determinant in getting hired. I’m extremely enthusiastic about this interview and look forward to a favourable response in advance!

TO-DO: Informational interview with VFA, Accessing Placement Fund, Student Agreement form 1

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Online Branding & Career Goals

Today’s agenda included a guest lecture on the incoming podcast in which groups get to assume roles for its production. Personally, I would be seizing the initiative if I either assume the role of an interviewee or recorder as these roles are outside my strengths; otherwise, I could just expand my art and design skills by assuming the role of a cover art producer. Interview rehearsals were also practised in today’s class where I was assigned to a group of four, exchanging the roles of interviewer, interviewee, and recorder between ourselves. The recorder of the interviewee had to record the video with the interviewee’s phone which provides the opportunity for the owner to rewatch the video and point out the grey areas they would need to work on in order to be prepared for an actual placement interview. These areas of improvement include:

Professional Appearance

Body language

Direct eye contact with interviewer

Smiling

Knowing how to segue if one cannot answer the question

The end of the class felt like an endless reminder to kickstart creating an architecture/design blog which has been in the ideation process for years. I already have a LinkedIn account which I could use to write a blog to inspire more people as well as gain more connections, and probably Tumblr/Instagram to review sites and fairs I attend in order to have an online brand which is the trend at the time we live in. Stay tuned!

TO-DO: Create 2 live social media accounts to be updated weekly where I comment on topics, articles, films, design fairs related to my interests in architecture, interior design, technology.

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Health, Safety & Wellness

Today’s class had three major presentations which were extremely informative and they were on: 

Health & Safety

Health & Wellness, and 

Research & Outreach

I learnt something new today that if my supervisor, colleague, or anyone for that matter raised their voice at me, and I do the same, that is harassment. I also learnt the importance of trusting my gut which I usually ignore for the sake of peace. Often times, this sense of peace is false because it takes a huge toll on one’s mental health, safety, and wellbeing if they allow their rights to be infringed in the workplace- so I’ll very much keep this in mind. The Health & Wellness segment was creatively presented, especially with this Tea Consent video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQbei5JGiT8, which has a powerful way of conveying the importance of consent in order to prevent sexual violence. In terms of research and outreach, since I already have my portfolio and resume set, I need to review writing cover letters and professional emails in case they’re needed, and also act on my goals, skills, and interests through online branding, and most importantly, informational interviews. 

TO-DO: Mindmapping career goals, applying to placements.

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Intro & Goals

I just successfully went through my first Internship course meeting!

I find the class extremely insightful and beneficial with the ice-breaker introductions, and I’m nothing short of excited to see the opportunities left in store for me. Prior to this course, I had already completed my portfolio and resume over the holidays. This course has made it easier to align my career pursuit in architecture to residential and hospitality sectors because I’m interested in modifying people’s behaviours in a sustainable built environment that allows for individuality. I really enjoyed the well thought-out introductory presentation on the four “food groups” which perfectly sum up my learning goals:

Self-reflection and self-management

Building professional relationships

Career knowledge

Creative practice and skills development

TO-DO: Refine résumé and Format portfolio, be familiar with Talent Network, mindmap my career goals, and mission statement.